Fools and Followers
by Vash The Humanoid Sunshower
Summary: "They fought even as they loved, tongues locking, hands probing each other almost without permission."
1. Part 1: Too Perfect

Fools and Followers:  
  
Authors Note: (That's Me!)  
  
All of the actual words of the dialogue between Relena and Dorothy was taken from a transcript of Episode 29, which I found online. All the other writing is my fault. This story takes place during the time Dorothy was in Sank, starting in Episode 29.  
  
As always, I don't own anything except my computer and my science fiction novel collection. Please don't sue me for my only actual possessions. I have nothing else. All the rights for Gundam Wing are owned by those who actually own them, and those people are a whole lot richer than me. I'm just playing with the characters for a while.   
  
Hope you all like this, but if you don't, tell me why! I love constructive criticism! There will be more. I'm writing it now, and boy does it get weird.  
  
Part 1: Too Perfect  
  
The waiting room was designed for comfort. Sun poured in through wide windows, drowning warm oak paneling and genuine suede covered chairs in a sickeningly cheerful light. Dorothy hated it. She sat perched on the edge of a chair in a pose of artfully arranged discomfort, one leg crossed decorously over the other, her blond hair falling elegantly over the back, the upturned corner of her lips resembling more a smirk than any expression of contentment. Only her eyes moved, scanning the room with an air of bored indifference.   
  
'So this is the result of total pacifism.' She almost sighed. 'Sank remains a ruin still, merely a retouched memorial to a dead dream.' she thought, glancing through the window at the perfectly manicured gardens and evenly mowed lawns. The stagnancy was suffocating. Even the birds were well ordered and quiet. It was all she could do not to throw herself from the chair, rip the pen from the hand of the ever bustling, smiling secretary, break it, do something, anything besides wait. But the battle would be coming here soon, she reminded herself. 'Even now mobile suits are gathering outside your borders. All the gardening in the world won't change that.' For an instant her smirk turned feral, her blue eyes lightening from their glassy haze.   
  
"Lovely weather, isn't it dear?" The secretary spoke, her voice once again jarring Dorothy from her thoughts.   
  
"Yes."   
  
Ten minutes of short, one word answers to inane comments about the school, the secretary's young grandchildren, her cats, even the quality of the coffee in Sank, and still the woman refused to allow her more than a moment's peace. 'Never again.' Dorothy promised herself. She didn't want the confidences of strangers.  
  
The intercom buzzed. "Miss Relena will see you now." the receptionist said, her attempt at good-natured efficiency worn down somewhat by the girl's persistent disinterest.  
  
"Of course." Dorothy stood with practiced grace, her smile almost completely disguising the annoyance behind her eyes. All lies. This pitiful pretense of peace was merely another illusion of mirrors and shadows, attempting as always to hide the rot underneath.   
  
"And thank you, miss..." Dorothy inclined her head, quirking one forked eyebrow. Most considered the brows a deformity, her grandfather had certainly tried hard enough to have them tweezed, but Dorothy liked the slightly intimidating effect they commanded when she called attention to them.   
  
"Just Rose child. All the new girls call me Rose." The woman beamed, completely missing the intended effect, immediately chalking Dorothy's former sullen manner to nervousness. "Now don't be worried child, she's really quite wonderful, very sweet, not at all intimidating."  
  
Dorothy's nod was curt; kindness annoyed her, it made her wonder what the other person wanted.   
  
*****  
  
"My name is Relena Peacecraft, Chairman of the Board of Directors. Welcome to the Sank Kingdom." The girl stood behind the desk, her lips turned up in a smile that didn't quite belay the tension in her body. 'As though she is letting a coyote in the chicken coop, hoping it will change its nature when given its fill of vegetables.' Dorothy thought, amused.  
  
"I didn't know that the Sank Kingdom's very own Princess is also the Chairman of the Board." Dorothy could feel the sarcasm leaking into her words, baiting Relena, but couldn't bring herself to hide it. Though she had known Relena was her age, it was hard to rectify the girl sitting in front of her with the image of the great threat that Dermail had sent her to find out about. 'Still, I am usually better at this', Dorothy noted with some concern.   
  
"My name is Dorothy Catalonia. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said, making certain to force her expression to one of polite interest.   
  
"I'm still unable to do anything on my own yet. I'll be learning about Absolute Pacifism together with you." Relena responded, catching Dorothy off guard. Usually this was the time for a show of power. Either the girl was as inexperienced with politics as Dorothy had been lead to believe, or perhaps she actually followed the drivel she preached.   
  
'She is a fool.' Dorothy decided. Only a fool would throw around her ignorance as if it was some sort of virtue. Thinking back to the secretary's remarks though, it was no wonder. Everyone around here seemed to treat Relena as if she was the second coming of some pacifistic deity. 'She is playing with fire, playing at politics like a kitten with yarn.'  
  
Yet there was something about Relena that caused her grandfather concern. 'Even kittens have claws.' She could hear her grandfather's words in her mind, his subtly patronizing tone of voice as he would pat the top of her head as though Dorothy herself were a pet. It was his imitation of affection. Even as she grew older, his voice still held the quality of mockery, whether he knew she hated it, hated him, he probably didn't care, possibly enjoying it. Dorothy still didn't know. She didn't recall that tone from her father, but he had died when she was almost too young to remember while she had never known her mother. Dermail had taught her most of what she knew about duplicity.   
  
Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly, he would do better to heed his own words. She wasn't here for him. Better to find out what the girl was made of, what part she would serve in the upcoming battle. It made no sense to make a pawn of a bystander. She would be damned if his words would wreck her plans.  
  
"As you know, I come from the Romefeller Foundation." Dorothy stated, choosing her words carefully, taking care to project an earnest facade.   
  
"The Foundation itself possesses a huge military arsenal." She continued. "I am truly interested in this policy Sank Kingdom has. What would you do if they were to invade your country? All of this wonderful scenery would be destroyed in seconds... I can't imagine such a terrible thing happening... No one wants to let such idiotic people conquer this country. What would you do if such a devastating and tragic thing were to happen to this place?"  
  
Dorothy stood, poised with expression of wide-eyed expectance, hoping she had kept her contempt of the scenery from her voice, waiting for her moment to strike. These small victories were nothing compared to the glory of honest battle, in fact it disgusted her even more than the soft faced girl sitting in front of her, but they were all she had.   
  
"I don't believe anyone is stupid in this world." Relena's face was still pleasant, but Dorothy could hear the snap in her words. It made Dorothy look closer. In spite of Relena's tone, her blue eyes shone with passion for the subject. "We can understand each other through discussion. I believe that in doing so, there can be peace."  
  
'Discussion? What does that solve? Grandfather was wrong, this will be easy.' Dorothy waited for the feeling of exultation to flow through her, the thrill of victory in her grasp with only a few more well chosen words. These moments were the only thing besides fighting that made her feel alive. What leader could respect themselves if they couldn't defend their kingdom? Who would follow them? This stance had failed Sank before, and it would fail them again. A mere reminder of that broken past would be enough to send people scattering. But the emotion was a trickle instead of a flood, leaving Dorothy feeling somehow cheated, as though she had missed some important nuance.   
  
'She believes it.' Dorothy realized after a moment's thought. It was unnerving. Usually the words of these discussions were of little consequence, merely a vehicle for both sides to figure out each other's actual motives. Her words, however quickly she had come to them, were sincere. Relena was ridiculously naïve, but now Dorothy could see why grandfather had been concerned about the girl. This girl had something her grandfather burned to possess but would never understand, and it would draw people to her like lambs to the slaughter.   
  
Of course, Dermail had treated this like he would any other threat. "Give me the keys to destroy her." Dorothy wasn't a very good spy, hardly polite, but her love of destruction was one thing that could be depended on. However, even Dorothy occasionally realized the need for subtlety. Relena's naiveté was as important to maintaining the will to fight as the passion of the opposing side. People needed the illusion that they were fighting for or against something. Without extremes, there would be no conflict. Honing Relena for a time, Dorothy noted with an inward smile, would put her closer to the center of the battle than even her failed attempt to run away to military academy.   
  
"Lady Relena, I am stupid. I like war. I love it." Dorothy didn't hide her enthusiasm, instead showing it completely. "I shouldn't be staying here with such ideas in my head."   
  
"No. The first stage of our country's policy is to bring such matters into discussion. Let's talk about these things, Miss Dorothy."   
  
Yes. She was perfect.   
  
The words slipped out before she could check them. "Please, call me Dorothy, Miss Relena."   
  
"Call me Relena." The girl immediately responded, her eyes losing some of their wariness, for a moment open in the belief that a new connection was forming.  
  
Too perfect.  
  
"No, I can't."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Miss Relena is the heroine of this era. Miss Relena, I admire you a lot."  
  
Dorothy's lips turned upwards, baring her teeth in the impression of a smile. It was her only warning. 'I am not your friend.'  
  



	2. Another Test. Another Warning.

Fools and Followers:  
  
Authors note:  
  
I'm so happy about all the positive reviews this story is getting. It's wonderful you all are enjoying it. Here's the next part.  
  
As always, I don't own Gundam Wing, don't own the characters. If I did, I'd surely be sipping drinks with umbrellas in them, on a beach, far away from here.   
  
Happy reading!  
  
Part 2: Another Test. Another Warning.  
  
In spite of the fact it was long past midnight, the halls were well still well lit. Dorothy smiled at a servant who just happened past, ostensibly changing a bulb, and walked confidently in the direction of the communal bathrooms. Of course, the barely concealed guards of the Sank estate were always awake, their servant uniforms an ill-fitting drapery disguising all manner of 'pacifistic' weapons. 'I doubt Relena even realizes how well armed her 'help' is.' Dorothy thought, faintly amused.  
  
Still, she always smiled at them, acknowledging their act, occasionally wishing them a good evening, in turn reacting like the silly imperceptive fool they expected her to be. She had only been here a short time, but her penchant for late night awakenings was already an established habit, though to be honest were it not necessary as a cover, she'd probably have awoken anyway. Dorothy rarely slept through the night. The demons in her dreams haunted her as surely as the vipers in her life and she found little rest as she flitted between them.   
  
Stepping into the bathroom she immediately made her way towards the row of tile paneled tubs. The bath was built more for comfort than efficiency, but Dorothy was especially grateful tonight for the row of large, deep tubs that were the staple of even Sank's communal bathing areas. She placed the towel along with a paperback book she'd been carrying on the edge of the tub, turning the faucet to run the water. A bath gave her a far larger window of opportunity than a shower and it would likely to be a while before anyone bothered to check on her.   
  
She stripped out of her nightgown revealing a black jumpsuit. Waiting for the tub to fill and appropriate amount, Dorothy turned the water off, splashed it around with her foot and sighed as though she were immersing herself in the water. Waited a minute longer before silently moving back to the toilet area, she closed the curtain behind her. Then, standing on a toilet seat she removed a small screwdriver from her pocket and proceeded to carefully unscrew the grate.   
  
Even though her purpose here was not subterfuge, she served more as a distraction from the actual secret operatives Romefellor had operating within Sank, Dorothy still had memorized the full schematics for the building before she'd arrived. Consequently she had a reasonably direct route mapped out between here and her objective. Not that she believed any amount of rifling through the princess' belongings would turn up anything productive; the girl was too innocent, and kept too ignorant, to be in possession of anything.  
  
Dorothy had as much as said so the last time her and her grandfather had talked, couching it in vague, respectful language even as she spoke with Dermail over a secured line.   
  
"Then you should have made her your friend." He had responded, the menace in his tone enough to make her drop any protests about skulking about the castle in the middle of the night.   
  
He was right though, Dorothy acknowledged. She could have easily befriended Relena after their first conversation, but instead, she tended to peck at the girl, attempting to break down her foundations even though Dorothy knew that she needed Relena whole for her plans. Dorothy should have long since pretended to appear more flexible, it would have cost her nothing, but she didn't have it in her to join the mass of fake smiles and false accolades that made up the majority of Relena's 'friends'. Dorothy knew she was ruthless, but she just couldn't bring herself to be cruel.  
  
At the same time, her continued usefulness was the only thing kept her from under her grandfather's thumb and close to the upcoming battle. That was why Dorothy put up with the classes and the parade of weak girls that seemed to follow Relena around for the sole purpose of kissing her ass. It was why she took the time to cultivate Relena as her debating partner, though the girl made her increasingly uncomfortable. It was why she was now shimmying through an air vent barely big enough to hold her and trying not to curse as her hair, in spite of the tight bun she had it in, got caught on occasional outcroppings of metal.   
  
Dorothy suppressed a sigh as she finally reached her destination, peering down through another grate, taking note of the black clad shadow hugging the corner of the servant's passage outside Relena's room. 'Some days it just isn't worth chewing through the leather straps in the morning', she thought, the expression popping into her head with a wry smile.   
  
****  
  
Definitely some of her better work, Dorothy commented to herself as she silently came up behind the black clad figure, carefully pulling into one hand a silenced gun from inside her jumpsuit, a thin knife into the other. The person still hadn't twitched. Dorothy hated to cloak and dagger routine, but there was no choice. Her original hope that this was just another of the overly efficient guards had been dashed by the unconscious, tied up and gagged person now to her left, carefully placed behind a potted plant.   
  
What really concerned her however was that the figure was not only positioned near the door but was also focused on the grate Dorothy had first intended to enter through. Bad enough someone was idiot enough to try and make another martyr out of Relena, but worse, they seemed to be expecting a convenient Dorothy shaped scapegoat. Still, had security been compromised to this degree, Dorothy thought with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she'd probably already be dead.  
  
'Another test grandfather, or is this a warning?'  
  
Either way, he was a dead man, she affirmed, bringing gun up behind the person's neck, touching skin, pulling the hammer back with a quiet click. Leaving space between them, she brought the knife hand to his throat. Definitely male. He tensed, shifting his weight to try and overpower her. Dorothy moved with the motion, pressing the gun to his neck while pushing the knife in slightly to make a shallow cut.  
  
"You were expecting me." She whispered harshly.   
  
"Dorothy." The voice was familiar, even as he struggled to breathe without moving.  
  
"Jonathon." She swallowed, a painful lump lodging in her throat, but her hands didn't waver.   
  
"Nice of you to drop in." Even with his back turned, she could feel the self assured half grin come over his features. It was the same grin he'd had when they'd sneaked to the kitchen one night, gorging themselves sick on stolen chocolate cake. The same smile when, in the brief breaks from training, they would play freeze tag and he'd always freeze her in impossible positions she could barely hold. It was the same grin he used when plucking the legs off of spiders, almost laughing at how they'd squirm around, trying to get away. It was also the same smile he used in bed.  
  
"I'm not here to see you." The words came out bitter, more angry than she had wanted.   
  
"Oh, that's a shame." His whisper still held the tone of good natured banter, with an undercurrent of implied sensuality she didn't like. He didn't fear her. She was obviously losing her touch. 'Or maybe it's because he isn't scared of anything.' His recklessness could be exploited though, if she could keep her emotions from running away with her as they had been lately.   
  
"Maybe you could tell me why you're here?" she suggested, lessening the anger in her voice, as though she was partially receptive to his advances.   
  
"Turn me around and I'll let you know."   
  
"Sure." She smiled but as he turned, she pushed the knife in, drawing it across his throat and then stepping back letting him fall forward, away from her.   
  
A warning then, she thought, waiting until the blood had slowed before flipping the body over with her toe, revealing the knife he had slipped from a wrist sheath into his hand while they had been talking. A knife that would surely have pierced her gut had she done as he asked. She smiled grimly, shaking a little, and leaned down to wipe her knife against a clean patch of his clothing.   
  
'A warning against sentiment for me, and one against arrogance for you.'   
  



End file.
